y k y y b h i i cover story r I am very clever at finding ways and means to avoid or trick predators such as sharks, dolphins and eels. I use pigment cells and muscles in my skin to copy the colours, patterns and even textures of the things around me. Not only can I mimic the look and texture of my surroundings but I can also mimic other animals. My predators swim by oblivious to me while I lie still and camouflaged. But if I am discovered by a wily sea creature I release a big cloud of black ink to block the predator’s view, giving me time to escape. But we octopuses are even more clever, as the ink contains a substance that dulls the predator’s sense of smell. It makes it even more difficult for me to be found. Even though octopuses look big, we can make ourselves very small, squeezing into the tiny crevices where non-one knows we are silently lurking. Octopuses are really fast swimmers. We squeeze water through our mantles, which propels us forward at a rate of knots. If I do get caught all is not lost! My beak can give a nasty bite and although I use my venomous saliva to subdue my prey, I can also use it against my predators. As a last resort I can even lose an arm! Wow that’s impressive, don’t you think? AND, it will even regrow!!!